It wasn’t the ending Alex Michelsen envisioned at Winston-Salem. After a standout run in the tournament, the American star faced a shocking defeat against Lorenzo Sonego, losing in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. But it’s not just the scoreline that’s making waves. Michelsen’s wild gesture during the match has sparked a storm of criticism, overshadowing his earlier success. Instead of celebrating his impressive campaign, he’s now at the center of a controversy that’s grabbing all the headlines.

Michelsen failed to prove his mettle in the final match and struggled at every point. As these struggles continued to pile up, they forced the young player to engage in an act of rage, surprising everyone. Michelsen hit the ball in frustration which hit a kid in the stands. The rising player quickly realized his mistake and was seen as apologetic. While the umpire of the match immediately approached the fan to ask about their well-being, the American apologized to the fan as well as he looked clearly dismayed. However, luck seemed to be favorable for Michelsen.

After a quick chat with the American player, the umpire decided to continue the match. Ideally, such incidents would lead to a disqualification, as has been witnessed by many players in the past. This led to a huge furor within the tennis community, with many accusing the umpire of a biased decision. Joining the fray are the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov. 

Taking to X, Kyrgios expressed his dissent over the decision. “DEFAULT. my goodness stop with these grey areas. PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES. same same… gotta keep the sport fair for everyone,” he wrote. Remember, when a similar gesture unfolded for Novak Djokovic, the ruling was different. 

The Serbian Maestro was suspended from his fourth-round match at the US Open in 2020 for a similar act. The Serbian star had inadvertently hit a line judge in the throat with a ball smacked in anger while he trailed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-5 in the first set. Shapovalov, meanwhile, joined Kyrgios to express similar sentiments. 

“I love how they say rules are rules until they suddenly aren’t,” he wrote on X. The Canadian star is himself a victim of recent disqualification from an ATP tournament. Shapovalov was seen smashing his racquet against the ground and then swatting it away at the Citi Open this season. He then had an indistinct chat with a fan, sitting near the baseline, as he visibly looked agitated.

The umpire soon called a supervisor and the decision to disqualify Shapovalov was taken leaving the star player surprised. But the outcome was different for Alex Michelsen, who was let go probably with a warning. This has led many to ponder if different players are receiving different consequences for the act.

ATP and WTA Tour following different rules for different players?

The recent incident involving Michelsen has once again sparked controversy around biased rulings. Interestingly, a similar incident took place at the French Open this year. 

At the 2024 French Open, Terence Atmane, the world No. 121 and French wildcard, also hit a spectator in the crowd. A supervisor was immediately sent to enquire about the matter, who spoke to the spectator. After a detailed discussion, Atmane received a warning and was not defaulted. But players have faced stringent consequences for even mistakes that were considered very minimal compared to these.

In the 2023 French Open, Japanese player Miyu Kato defaulted from the women’s doubles after she accidentally struck a ball towards the other end of the court, thereby hitting a ball kid. While the intensity of the stroke was gentle, the kid was left crying. Despite the umpire initially ruling that the kid “didn’t get injured,” an appeal from opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo led to the disqualification of Kato and her partner Aldila Sutjiadi. The emphasis was laid on the fact that the hit made the kid cry. 

The above incidents highlight the outcome-based approach of the organizers. With the season entering the US Open, it would be interesting to see if more such incidents. like that of Alex Michelsen take place and if the decisions remain the same.